The team moved quietly through the dense forest, scanning for any signs of Decepticon activity. Patrols had been uneventful lately, but Optimus led with his usual unwavering focus.

Up ahead, they spotted something unusual—a massive cave entrance, its edges too smooth to be natural. The structure looked man-made, as if hidden away for years. Cautiously, Optimus gestured for the others to follow as he stepped inside.

The air inside the cave felt different, heavier. The faint glow from their optics cast eerie shadows on the smooth stone walls. As Optimus advanced, he glanced down just in time to feel something shift beneath his foot—a soft crunch echoed in the silence.

He froze, optics widening. Slowly lifting his foot, his gaze fell on the object he had stepped on, and his spark sank.

It was an egg—large, smooth, and unmistakably organic. A hairline crack ran across its surface. Optimus’s optics darted toward the back of the cave, where more eggs rested, nestled in the soft ground.

And then he saw it—the massive shape looming in the darkness, a pair of glowing eyes locking onto him.

A dragon.